Update: Michigan State University Police Deputy Chief Chris Rozman identified Anthony McRae, 43, as the shooter.
A gunman killed three people and wounded five others at Michigan State University on Monday, setting off a police manhunt and forcing students to hide in their dormitories at one of America’s largest university campuses.
The gunman, a 43-year-old man, eventually died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. But as hundreds of officers searched for him on Monday night, anxiety rippled across the campus and the nearby community of East Lansing, Mich. Some neighborhoods were largely silent except for the wailing of police sirens and the sounds of police helicopter blades chopping the winter air.
Students hid for hours as they awaited developments in the search.
The five wounded people were in critical condition as of early Tuesday morning and were being treated at Sparrow Hospital, said Chris Rozman, the university Police Department’s interim deputy police chief. None of their names were released.
The suspect had no connection to the university, Chief Rozman said, and it was not clear yet what connection the victims had. “We have no idea why he came to campus tonight,” he said.
Shots were fired on Monday night inside Berkey Hall, home to the school’s college of arts and sciences, and later at the M.S.U. student union, according to the university Police Department
All campus activities have been canceled for 48 hours, including classes and athletics.
Police, who updated the public using their social Twitter profile (MSU Police and Public Safety @msupolice), had urged students not to leave campus for any reason.
The date of this latest sadly brings to mind another tragedy. On February 14, 2018 at Parkland High School in Parkland, Florida, 17 students were killed in a massacre.
